Nombramientos

🏨 Gabriel Escarrer, presidente ejecutivo de Meliá, ha nombrado un vicepresidente ejecutivo en América para impulsar el crecimiento de la cadena hotelera en la región. El nuevo cargo colaborará con Bernat Cabot, vicepresidente de expansión, quien posee experiencia en Asia. El anuncio fue adelantado por 'Desarrollo' un martes sin especificar la fecha.

✈ Iberia shifts to using Air Nostrum's 100-seat CRJ 1000 aircraft instead of Airbus A320, with up to 180 seats, at Santiago de Compostela's Lavacolla Airport, as traveler demand drops. Ryanair also reduces its presence. The change is attributed to the high-speed AVE rail service's 22 daily connections, offering 58,000 weekly seats. Ryanair and Air Europa continue operations from La Coruña and Vigo to Madrid, with altered frequencies and schedules.

🏨 The Aeropuerto de Córdoba is gaining attention for 2025 as airlines like Vueling, Binter, and now Air Nostrum announce operations, with Air Nostrum resuming summer connections to the Balearics. Cathay Pacific sees Spain as a key connector between Europe and Asia, targeting growth surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 2025. Meliá Hotels International readies the relaunch of its flagship brand in the Canaries and soon the Caribbean. Following the approval of Hyatt and Piñero's alliance, Antonio Ferragut is appointed as the new CEO of Grupo Piñero's hotel division, planning expansion and repositioning for 2025-26. Iberostar aims to boost its expansion with its Iberostar Beachfront Resorts brand, eyeing growth in Africa beyond Tunisia and Morocco. Meliá and Summum will open a luxury hotel in Santa Ponsa, Mallorca by 2026. Natalia Bayona of UNWTO emphasizes the importance of safety and trust in tourism regarding ODS16. Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has named Friedrich Von Schönburg as regional vice president, while he remains the general manager of Rosewood Villa Magna, awarded Best Hotel in Madrid 2024. Spanish hotel chains have a presence in 68 countries with over 1,200 hotels and 280,000 rooms, with three Caribbean countries holding

🏨 Javier Vich, a hotelier managing Summum, a 14-hotel chain associated with Meliá, recently took over as president of the Mallorca Hotel Association. Despite rejecting the Balearic eco-tax increase for tourists, he asserts it won't impact the upcoming tourist season. Vich witnessed a minor slowdown in early bookings, especially from the UK market, at Fitur but remains unperturbed. He advocates for the current hotel pricing in Mallorca, citing a significant transformation in the sector over the past 10-12 years with diverse offerings for all budgets. Mallorca now attracts luxury tourism that wasn't present before, and Vich stresses the subjectivity of pricing debates, emphasizing quality and service. The hotel industry is ready to adjust to demand fluctuations, with no observed downturn necessitating price reductions. Vich also addresses the challenge of illegal vacation rentals and emphasizes the importance of addressing broader issues like housing and mobility that indirectly affect the tourism industry. He acknowledges competition from emerging destinations like Turkey and Albania, stressing the importance of maintaining safety as a key factor for success in the upcoming season. Finally, he contextualizes the issue of 'tourism-phobia' in Mallorca as a minority-driven phenomenon, exacerbated by infrastructural and housing deficiencies.

🏨 Riu Hotels & Resorts began its generational handover after Carmen Riu's retirement in July 2024. CEO Luis Riu initiated a new phase involving the fourth generation of the Riu family. Roberto Riu Rodríguez, 31, joins as executive director, overseeing the Design and Construction department and the Commercial and Marketing area. Naomi Riu Rodríguez, 32, combines her CFO role with responsibilities in EMEA Purchasing and Corporate Social Responsibility, overseeing operations in the Indian Ocean and Riu Plaza hotels in Madrid, London, and Dublin. Luis Riu Rodríguez, 33, also from Design and Construction, becomes executive director for Atlantic zone operations and will manage the SAT engineering and maintenance area. Lola Trian Riu, 40, shifts from Sustainability to managing the family's philanthropic funds, including the Joan Riu Foundation. Joan Trian Riu, 41, as executive director, will lead Operations in America and Riu Plaza hotels in the USA, Toronto, Guadalajara, Panama, and Berlin. They aim to strengthen executive roles while maintaining the family management's balance and understanding, contributing to the company's 70-year history.

🏨 Riu announces internal changes involving a new generation, with the family's fourth generation taking on key executive roles to strengthen the company's over 70-year history. Luis Riu remains CEO, overseeing expansion, construction, and product design. Roberto Riu Rodríguez joins as Executive Director, handling Commercial and Marketing. Naomi Riu Rodríguez, the CFO, adds EMEA Purchases and CSR to her duties and oversees Operations in the Indian Ocean region and Riu Plaza hotels in Madrid, London, and Dublin. Luis Riu Rodríguez becomes Executive Director for Operations in the Atlantic zone and SAT engineering and maintenance. Lola Trian Riu shifts focus to manage family philanthropic funds, including the Joan Riu Foundation. Joan Trian Riu, as Executive Director, covers Operations in America and Riu Plaza hotels in the USA, Toronto, Guadalajara, Panama, and Berlin, maintaining his institutional representation of the company.

📌 Mayte García, previously Secretary General, now holds the position of Executive Director, responsible for services to associates, innovation, technology, quality, sustainability, health, and public administration relations as per the 2-year transparency law. Nuria Montes resumes her previous role as Secretary General, managing institutional, administrative, labor tasks, accounts, reports, territorial coordination, and communication and big data policies. Hosbec, led by president Fede Fuster, experiences restructuring to cater to growth in membership and territorial presence across three provinces. The organization gains 9 new members (1 in Castellón, 4 in Valencia, 4 in Alicante), totaling 368 associates and nearly 116,000 represented lodging options. The General Assembly of HOSBEC will formally approve the statutory modifications, although the directive committee's decision is already effective.

🛫 Charles Cartier is no longer leading Air Mauritius as of this Thursday, with a trio of directors taking over amidst chaos, including accusations, resignations, and various anomalies. The airline is facing internal divisions, political battles, consistent aircraft malfunctions, delays, cancellations, and frequent luggage losses. Air Mauritius, publicly owned and operating to 30 destinations with a fleet of 10 planes, including four Airbus A330 and A350 each, survived bankruptcy during the pandemic with public aid. IAG owns 10% of the airline. The turmoil started last year when employees sent a letter to the Parliament exposing unjust dismissals and authority abuses, leading to the recent dismissal of Cartier by the board.

📌 Ana Belén Prim, with over 20 years of experience, including 17 years at Petit Palace and 3 years at Sonder, has joined Sercotel Hotel Group as the new Head of Expansion. She is part of YPO, a global leadership community with over 34,000 CEOs in 150 countries, and has been a partner of Women in Hospitality for four years. Sercotel Hotel Group, under Francisco Marco's leadership, has recently strengthened its Expansion team with new hires such as Jaume Sans, Silvia Pizarro, and Jesús Moreno, indicating a strategic focus on their expansion efforts.

📅 Luca Angiolani has been promoted to the position of Commercial Director at Jumbo Tours after over seven years with the company, reporting directly to General Director Emilio Rivas, who took over in September. Angiolani succeeds Amadeu Franquet, who retires after more than eight years with Jumbo Tours. Previously, Angiolani worked at Viajes Olympia, Tour10, Sehrs Tourism, Keytel, and Avis.